State news
Latest
Dozens oppose Kansas bill inflating enforcement powers of ICE and other federal agents
More than 10 news entities objected Monday to a bill before the Kansas Legislature granting federal law enforcement officers authority in Kansas to impose 25-foot buffer zones in public spaces and secure immunity in lawsuits.
Want more state news?
You can read Associated Press coverage of Kansas stories and more online for free here.
KCUR also has paywall-free news from around the state at this link.
We post many, but not all, stories from the Kansas Reflector. Read more of their coverage here.
We also frequently post stories from the Kansas News Service. Read more of their coverage here.
TOP TAGS
Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe KANSAS NEWS
Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
Gov. Kelly signs legislation creating workforce development scholarship program
Gov. Laura Kelly signed bipartisan legislation Friday authorizing a scholarship program aimed primarily at encouraging Kansas community college and technical college students to develop skills in high-demand areas of the state’s economy.
Advocacy groups push for transparency in Evergy’s $8.9 billion ‘sustainability’ plan
Environmental and consumer groups are raising alarms about what they claim is limited transparency as Kansas regulators review Evergy’s plan to spend more than $8.9 billion on the utility provider’s infrastructure across the state.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
Kansas governor blocks attack on transgender athletes, civics test for high schoolers, NRA curriculum
Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed a series of controversial bills that would have banned transgender athletes from school sports, required high schoolers to pass a civics test before graduation, and installed NRA-sponsored curriculum in public schools.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
After George Floyd’s murder, a racial equity panel proposed changes; the Kansas Legislature ignored them
The Commission on Racial Equity and Justice issued more than 30 suggestions in its December report for state legislators to consider, but none has received meaningful consideration.
David Condos/Kansas News Service
Half of Kansas counties turn down COVID vaccines even though they’re far from herd immunity
Sixty-two Kansas counties rejected their weekly allocations of COVID-19 vaccines from the state this week, even though only roughly 34% of Kansans have received at least one shot.
Screen capture
Immigrant suffering from mental illness deported after 6-month breakdown in Kansas jail
A mentally ill man who spent six months in a Kansas jail after being pulled over for speeding in Texas and arrested on a decade-old dropped charge has been deported to Mexico.
Kansas transitioning to 10-digit dialing ahead of new 988 suicide prevention number
Gov. Laura Kelly asked Kansans using the 785 and 620 telephone area codes to begin preparing for transition to a 10-digit dialing requirement for local calls to accommodate implementation of an abbreviated national suicide hotline number.
Climate change has turned the Kansas prairie into junk food that’s killing grasshoppers
The numbers show an alarming decline in the grasshopper population on the Kansas prairie — nearly 2% a year for about a quarter century.
Jill Hummels for Kansas Reflector
Kansas opts for bonding to help consumers with energy price shocks, transition from coal
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly signed bipartisan legislation stretching over time consumers’ payment of exorbitant […]
Kansas Reflector
Grain Belt transmission line forges ahead amid landowner, lawmaker pushback
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On the heels of a historic cold snap that left thousands […]
Colyer takes plunge in Republican race for governor, earns backing from Marshall
TOPEKA — Former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer formally launched a campaign for the Republican nomination […]
New law pushes Kansas school districts to reconsider health protocols
School boards across Kansas are beginning conversations or taking action to modify their COVID-19 restrictions in response to Senate Bill 40.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
End-of-session package installs framework for investigating elder abuse in Kansas
A package of bills aimed at curbing elder abuse and creating more communication with various agencies that work with seniors was met with support by lawmakers on the final day of the regular session.
Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
Shultz formally takes reins of labor department plagued by challenges
TOPEKA — Information technology troubleshooter Amber Shultz answered a unanimous Senate confirmation vote by taking […]
Kansas GOP legislators target rights of transgender youth; Lawrence delegates and activists warn of harm
Following a trend in Republican-dominated legislatures around the nation, GOP members of the Kansas Legislature […]
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first



